tilston



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. TILS'TON. OR AUTOMATIC SUPPLY OF FIBROUS MATERIALS T0 PREPARING MACHINES.

Patented Dec. 24, 1895.

APPARATUS F No. 551,800. I

W- ZZmdm AN DREW 5.6RAHAM. FHOTO-LITHO WASHI NGTON. u C

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. E. TILSTON.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC SUPPLY OF FIBROUS MATERIALS T0 PREPARING MACHINES.

No. 551,800. Patented Dec. 24, 1895.

Wm @W AN DREW B.GNAHAM, PHUYO-LHHD.WASHING1ON,D C

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDTVARD TILSTON, OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC SUPPLY OF FIBROUS MATERIAL TO PREPARING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,800, dated December 24, 1895.

Application filed August 26, 1895. fierial No. 560,562.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beitknown that LEDWARD TILsTON, a sub-- j ect of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of 2 Bates Street, Longsight, Manchester, county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain Improved Apparatus for the Automatic Supply of Fibrous Material to Preparing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to improvements in machinery for the automatic supply of definite quantities of raw or partly-prepared fibrous materials, such as cotton and wool, to the lattice or feed-table of machines used in opening, beating, cleaning, or otherwise preparing such materials.

For more clearly setting forth my said in vention Iwill describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a vertical central section of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan view, partly in section, of the mechanism for operating the scalepan; and Fig. 3 represents a vertical section of a modified combination and arrangement of the hopper and its feeding devices.

The hopper for the fibrous material to be acted on is designated a.

The material is drawn from the hopper a by the roller 0 and clearer c, whence it falls into the closed balance or scale-pan d. The latter is made in two halves d (1 each mounted 011 a rocking shaft (Z TVhen a certain predetermined quantity of material has accumulated in the scale-pan d the shafts (Z make a partial rotation about their axes (by the means hereinafter described) in such a manner as to cause the two halves d and (l of the scalepan to diverge, whereupon the material falls through at d into the lower hopper or chute a, whence it is drawn by the spiked roller 0 and stripper c and delivered to the feed-box e. The sides 6 e of the feed-box are in some cases inclined toward each other in such a way as to make the lower part of the feed-box narrower than the upper part. It frequently happens that the material varies much in bulk for a given weight, while it is desirable to deliver it to the feed-lattice of as uniform density as possible.

By having a feed-box with inclined sides the combined effect of gravity and the inclined (N0 model.)

planes thus presented will tend to force the heterogeneous layers together, compressing all and increasing the approach to uniformity in density. To facilitate the descent and discharge of the material one or both sides of the box may be provided, as shown in Fig. i, with moving devicesfor example, endless traveL ing sheets or lattices. As the said material leaves the box 6 it falls 011 a creeper or conveying-lattice f, which carries it to the feed table g of the opening or other machine to which the material has to be supplied.

It will usually be most convenient to arrange the hopper a under an opening in an upper floor through which the material is discharged. TVhere this is not convenient I adopt the arrangement shown in Fig. 3. The hopper is placed at a and the material therein is led by a creeper f to a spiked traveling sheet or lattice f which carries the material upward over the roller f, where the material is stripped by a stripper f. The rest of the machine is as herein described with reference to Fig. 1.

The mechanism for operating the scale-pan is shown in elevation in Fig. 1 and in plan to a larger scale in Fig. 2. In these figures g is one of the main side frames of the machine between which the hopper, the rollers, and the feed-box lie. There is one such side frame at each side, to one of which the mechanism for operating the scalepan is attached.

Fig. :2 is a section 011 the line no a: of Fig. 1 but for facility of description the shaft 72 and the levers thereon are also shown, although they are above the level of the plane represented by a; a2.

The scale-pan lever or beam 7o has its fixed fulcrum at 71; on a bracket secured to the side of the machine. A sliding balance-weight 70 is provided, which not only balances the weight of the lever 70, the scale-pan and all the mechanism connected therewith, but besides furnishes an excess weight correspondthe machine connected to each other by crossbars or stretchers k to insure their parallel action.

The cross-shafts d are carried by the beams 7c, in which they can freely rotate. A bolt k pivoted in the beam 7t carries a bar through the ends 7c of which the shafts d can freely rotate. A sheet curtain k is secured by screws to the bar and prevents the material from falling out at the sides of the scale-pan (Z. The scale-pans d (1* are secured to brackets (Z mounted on the shafts d and secured thereto by set-screws, so as to oscillate there with. Suitable slots are provided in the frame sides g to admit the bosses of the bar k and to allow them to freely rise and fall therein as the beam 76 oscillates about its fulcrum.

Levers 70 are secured by set-screws to the shafts d and have their ends connected by a spring 713 so as to keep the scale-pan closed, unless some force is applied to open them positively against the action of the spring 70 Hinged at one end of the beam 7c is a swingbar Z, which when the scale-pan is closed is held up so that its lower end is just out of reach of a revolving spider-shaft Z.

At one side only of the machine is a shaft h free to rotate in bearings 7t secured to the side frame g.

Secured to one end of the shaft h is a lever 77?, having a universal joint h from which depends a strut 71 having a projection 7L resting on a block h. A spring 7L7 tends to keep the projection h in position. The weight of the levers and other parts connected to the shaft 7t tends to cause the shaft to turn in the direction of the arrow 7L8. (Shown in Fig. 2.) A spring or weighted lever 0 may, however, be applied to augment this tendency and prevent sticking.

When the weight of the material in the pan (1 has reached such a point as to overcome the weight M, the latter will rise and the other end of the beam it will fall, bringing the lower end of the hang-bar Z into contact with the rotating spider-shaft Z. The bar Z will then be driven in toward the machine, and, meeting a bolt m on the strut h, the projection 7L5 will slip oif the block it, whereupon the strut it will no longer prevent the turning of the shaft h in the direction of the arrow h On the turning of the shaft h in the said direction the arms h of the shaft h will strike the arms d and depress them, thereby partially rotating the shafts d and causing the scalepans d d to diverge and to discharge their contents intothe hopper a. The turning of the shaft 7t also stops the rotation of the spiked roller 0, (or the roll f of Fig. The roller 0 is driven by toothed gearing from a rotating shaft 12, on which is a clutch n, controlled by a lever from the shaft h in such a way that as the shaft turns to open the scalepan the clutch is disengaged and as the shaft is put back the clutch engages again and the spiked roller (or the roller f again rotates. After having discharged its contents the pan (1 remains open a certain predetermined time, when it is automatically closed by means about to be described.

A lever 0, having a fixed fulcrum at 0 on the same side of the machine as the shaft 72 is provided with a spring 0 which continually tends to pull down the outer end of the lever 0 and to elevate the inner end 0 7 On the lever 0 is a roller 0, taking onto a slowlyrotating cam o". On the shaft h is a lever 0 connected to a plunger 0 working in guides 0". So long as the strut 7t is in engagement with the block 7t and the lever o is up the plunger 0 is kept clear of the end of the lever 0 The swell of the cam 0 pressing on the roller 0 keeps the end of the lever 0 depressed; but when the depression in the cam comes under the roller 0 the spring 0 elevates the point of the lever 0 By the opening of the scale-pan (1 through the rocking of the shaft 7t the plunger 0 is depressed, and the period of rotation of the cam 0 is so arranged that at any given interval of time after the opening of the scale-pan d the depression of the cam shall come under the roller 0 when the point 0 of the lever instantly rises and lifts the plunger 0, thereby rocking the shaft h backward. By this backward rocking the scale-pan is closed, the strut h is lifted into its first position, the clutch n is brought into engagement, all parts revert to their original positions, and the supply of material recommences.

By varying the toothed change-wheels which drive the cam o the rotation of the latter and thereby the interval of time elapsing between the successive closings of the pan d can be regulated at will to suit the particular rate of feed suitable for the machine to be supplied or the material operated upon.

The arrangement of gearing for driving the various rollers from the main driving-shaft, (other than that described,) the feed-lattices, and the construction of these elements are not shown, as they may be arranged in various well-known ways and form no part of my said invention.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for automatically supplying weighed quantities of fibrous materials the combination of the diverging scale pans d d the hopper a the continuously rotating roller and stripper c c and the feed box 6 having sides inclined to each other substantially as set forth and shown.

2. In a machine for automatically supplying fibrous materials the combination of an intermittently acting weighing apparatus with a feed box having sides inclined downward toward each other and provided with traveling sheets for taking forward and delivering the material continuously substantially as set forth.

3. The scale-pan consisting of two inde pendently pivoted sections held together by a spring, in combination with means of supplying the same with material and devices for opening the said scale-pan at intervals to discharge the material therefrom, the said devices consisting of a lever lo, a Weight 7t balancing the said pan and lever as Well as the connected mechanism and a predetermined amount of material to be held in the said pan, the hang bar Z, the spider-shaft Z arranged to be struck by the said hang bar as the scale pan descends, a rock-shaft h provided with arms h and also with a stop which is Withdrawn by the action of the said hang bar, and shafts on which the sect-ions of the scale-pan are respectively pivoted, these shafts being 

